Man convicted of raping woman while kids overheard

A jury has convicted Lafayette resident James Miske Jr., 28, of strangling and raping a woman while three of her children hid in horror.

The woman's 4-year-old son told investigators he was sleeping on a couch in the living room on Jan. 5 when Miske came into the home, pulled his mother up by her hair and smashed her forehead against the wall.

The boy also said Miske choked his mom's neck and threatened to kill her, according to a summary released by Tippecanoe County Prosecutor Pat Harrington.

The woman's 10-year-old daughter told detectives she was with her infant sister in a separate bedroom when their brother came in, shaking and crying, to recount what he'd just witnessed.

The eldest child said she didn't see any of the incident but heard her mother's voice screaming, "Don't kill me. Don't kill me."

The woman said Miske dragged her into a bedroom by her hair and forced her to engage in a variety of sex acts, some of which caused bleeding and bruises.

About 20 minutes after Miske fell asleep, his victim snuck out of the bedroom and called 911.

On July 10, a jury found Miske guilty of nine charges: rape while threatening use of deadly force, a Class A felony; two counts of criminal deviate conduct while threatening use of deadly force, Class A felonies; confinement resulting in bodily injury, a Class C felony; intimidation, a Class D felony; strangulation, a Class D felony; domestic battery in the presence of a child, a Class D felony; battery, a Class A misdemeanor; and resisting law enforcement, a Class A misdemeanor.

The most serious charge alone carries a possible penalty of 20 to 50 years.